became kra and christie, on board the presidential helicopter to view the storm ravaged coast, the fema director can be ellier right now. >> and walking the neighborhood among the hardest hit. among the surprises? a president not known for displaying affect certainly did it this way. >> we'll help you get it all together, all right? i promise, promise. you're going to be okay. >> and governor chris christie, one of mitt romney's top campaign attack dogs. >> give me a plane ticket back to chicago, you've earned. >> reporter: went out of his way to burnish president obama's leadership credentials. >> he sprung into action immediately while we were in the cars riding together. this is our sixth conversation since the weekend, and it's -- it's been a great working relationship. >> reporter: the storm's plitt maps on the plus side for the president acting as emergency responder in chief. >> i instituted a 15-minute rule on my team. you return everybody's phone calls in 15 minutes, the mayor's, governor's, county officials. if they need something, we figure out a way to say yes. >> reporter: